Eagles Drop Season Opener to Bethune-Cookman 2-1

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Stevens Strike Outs Nine as Eagles Drop Season Opener
Freshman Brian Dempsey records first career RBI

BOX SCORE

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Bethune-Cookman 2, Boston College 1
Records: Boston College (0-1) at Bethune-Cookman (1-0)
Series: BCU leads the series, 1-0
Location: Jackie Robinson Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Fla.BC HIGHLIGHTS

Sophomore right-hand starter Jacob Stevens tied career high with nine strikeouts over a scoreless, six-inning outing. He allowed just four hits and one walk.

Sophomore Gian Martellini led the way for the Eagles at the plate with a 2-for-4 night, scoring BC’s only run and notching the Eagles’ only extra-base hit, a double.

Freshman Brian Dempsey recorded his first career hit and RBI, coming in as a pinch hitter in the seventh and driving in Martellini on a base hit.

Junior Jake Palomaki drew a walk in the third to bring his career total to 89, standing alone at ninth in BC record books.

Sophomore LHP Zach Stromberg retired the six batters he faced in the seventh and eighth innings, striking out two.

KEY PLAYS

The Eagles had a 1-0 lead with two outs and a runner on first in the ninth. Demetrius Sims tied the game with a triple to right center. Nate Sterijevski hit a walk-off single through the right side to give the Wildcats the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

It took six innings to plate a run in the game between BC and Bethune-Cookman. With BCU starter Tyler Norris out of the game, Martellini doubled to left center off RHP Alexis Herrera. Dempsey ripped a pinch-hit single up the middle to score the first run of the game. He moved up to second on the throw but new pitcher Joseph Calamita forced a grounder and fly ball to get out of the inning.

Stevens and Stromberg held the Wildcats scoreless through eight innings. Junior RHP Bobby Skogsbergh entered in the ninth and got a strikeout looking for the first out before giving up a single to Danny Rodriguez. The righty forced a foul out for the second out before giving up the triple to Sims, allowing Rodriguez’s run to tie the game at one. Sterijevski’s base hit found the hole between first and second to plate Sims as the game-winning run.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

Junior Scott Braren extended his hit streak from last year to four games, tying a career long.

Freshman Dante Baldelli made his first career start, playing centerfield for the Eagles.

BC recorded its fourth consecutive game dating back to last season without an error.

The last time the Eagles lost due to a walk-off was on March 20, 2016 when Clemson’s Seth Beer hit a home run in the 10^th inning to give the Tigers a 3-2 win.

UP NEXT
The Eagles and Wildcats continue the series at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

From John Doucette:

On Friday night the Boston College Baseball team began the 2017 campaign in Daytona Beach Florida VS Bethune-Cookman. Like many games played last season it came down to the final at-bat before a decision was reached. Despite a strong opening night performance from Sophomore Jacob Stevens, who went six innings and struck out nine, while only allowing four hits.The Eagles bats could not shake off the rust of not being used since last spring. BCU plates two in the bottom of the ninth of closer Bobby Skogsbergh to defeat the Eagles 2-1 in the opener of a three game series.

For six innings this was a pitcher’s duel between Stevens and BCU starter Tyler Norris, who went six innings and struck out eleven Eagles hitters giving up only two hits. It was until the bullpens got involved that some offense began to take place. In the seventh, Boston College broke through against RHP relief pitcher Alexis Herrera, a double off the bat of Sophomore Gian Martellini was followed by Freshman Brian Dempsey off the bench in a pinch hitter role and coming through with a base hit to drive home Martellini to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead. The RBI was his first in a BC uniform.

It would stay 1-0 until the bottom of the ninth, after getting two perfect inning from relief pitcher Zack Stromberg. Head Coach Mike Gambino called on his closer to finish the game. After getting the first hitter of the inning Skogsbergh then ran into trouble. He would give up a single to Danny Rodriguez, after inducing a foul out for out number two. Skogsbergh then gave up a triple to Demetrius Sims to plate Rodriguez and tie the game at 1-1. The next batter, Nate Strijevski, would then deliver the game ending blow singling between first and second base to score Sims and give BCU the walk off win 2-1.

A tough way to open the season for BC, however, if there was good news to take away from this game it would be the strong outing from Stevens and the error free ball the team played. Boston College and Bethune-Cookman are right back at it on Saturday afternoon with game two of the matchup at 1pm.